


By Your Side [Solider76/!SupportReader]

by KeisSkyrunner



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Gender Neutral, Soldier76/Reader, Support Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 13:17:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeisSkyrunner/pseuds/KeisSkyrunner
Summary: Reader does not want to act on their crush on 76, but with a little bit of help from their friends they find out their feelings may not be so one-sided after all.





	By Your Side [Solider76/!SupportReader]

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Phew finally done with this one after several instances of writer blocks and lack of time. I’m not totally happy with the ending since I do feel that it’s similar to To Be With You... but well I got tired of rewriting it. In regards to DVA asking the Reader on who they like, I actually have nothing against any of the characters as partners, I mean I believe Roadhog can be a really sweet lover :). Cheers with love <3
> 
> Edit: I tagged it as gender-neutral only to re-read it and see that I put female pronouns in some places! I’m really sorry for this, and I’ve amended hopefully all of it as of now. Really sorry for the slip >_< !

This was not good. This was not good at all.

You have tried, and failed, to convince yourself that it was not what you think it is.

But it is.

You were... you were positively mooning over the ex-vigilante Soldier 76. Sure you were sent by Angela to check on the supplies in the gym's first aid kit. And yeah you were doing your job... until a certain man walked into your line of sight and started to work out before your very eyes... Those taut and refined muscles flexing and working, the scarred skin that gave that man so much character, that mysterious mask -

"Whatcha doin'?"

You stifled a scream as you jumped slightly in fright. A giggle confirmed your suspicions even as you jerked around to see your friend Lena with a sly look on her face.

"N-nothing. I was doing nothing. Well except for running inventory for this first aid kit." You replied, grasping onto your official excuse for being here.

"Mmhm..." Lena hummed, totally unconvinced.

"Really!" You hold up the first aid kit to show Tracer, only to have the contents of the box fall out onto the gym floor. Frantically, you bent down and began to gather the various medical items on the ground, hoping that nothing was broken or had come undone. Beside you, Lena was helping to get the supplies that may have rolled further away.

Your hand found the iodine bottle and you lifted it up to examine it for cracks. Oh no there certainly were some at the -

"You should be more careful next time." A rich gravelly voice filled your ears as a caullsed hand holding a roll of bandage appeared before your vision. You hated how your brain immediately recognised who that was and sent heavy signals for your face to blush in full force.

"T-thank you, 76." You blushed and stuttered slightly as you reached out an almost trembling hand for the bandage. Your fingers brushed ever so lightly over his palm as you grasped the item, the resulting tingles just about set your brain on fire.

You could feel his eyes on you, scrutinising you, but you dared not to lift your own eyes to meet his, even if you could not actually see it behind the mask.

So you did the only thing you could do.

"SomeofthesethingsneedtobereplacedIhave togonowthankssorrybyeseeyoulaterLena!" You blurted out, shoving the remaining loose supplies in the medical kit, grabbing the box and running out of the room.

"Y/N?" Lena called out after you, confused.

But her voice was easy to ignore with the sound of your flustered heart beating loudly in your ears.

-S-

Maybe it was an infatuation. A passing fancy on a man you found yourself attracted to. He ticked all the check boxes to the list you'll never show anyone. No scratch that, the list didn't even exist before you met him. Your brain was trying to rationalise why you liked him, and it wasn't doing a good job.

"You're a medical staff. You should know that isn't good for you." Your eyes focused back on the present, to see a pair of muscled legs clad in military pants and boots.

Only that they were upside down.

Which consequently reminded you that you were lying off the edge of the recreation room couch with your head upside down. Jerkily, you twisted yourself back onto the couch proper, only to squeeze your eyes shut and clutch your head in dizzy agony as blood started to flow back into your body.

You vaguely heard a sigh before you felt strong hands on your arms, steadying you and preventing you from the danger of tipping over and off the couch.

Thankfully, the dizziness faded after a few moments, enough for you to open your eyes hesitantly. The sight of white hair and a red visor met you, and you could feel the intense stare of the soldier's eyes behind the mask.

"You feeling alright now?" The ex-vigilante's deep husky voice rumbled in your ears. Feeling heat coursing through your cheeks from the close proximity, you averted your eyes and nodded shyly. Dammit, this man could reduce you from a (relatively) fully functioning grown adult to a shy bumbling teenager.

"You sure? You're looking to be a little red in the face."

"Yeah, I am." You replied in what you hoped sounded like a casual affirmation. The solider seemed to scrutinise you for a moment or two longer before extending a handful of documents to you.

"Angela told me to pass this to you and to say to not overthink whatever you're thinking about. It seems that you have wrapped Lúcio's wound with too much bandage."

At this, you cringed. No wonder the poor DJ looked a little uncomfortable, and he was probably just too nice to say it! Damn, this infatuation needed to go, it was taking your mind off your work.

"Ah... I see. I'll keep that in mind." You replied a little dispiritedly as you took the documents from his grasp, careful to avoid touching his hands. "Thank you."

Soldier76 nodded in affirmation, and began to take his leave. However, just as he reached the doorway, he paused and turned slightly, such that you were at the corner of his vision. "It may not be my place, but if it's something that you cannot tell Angela, I'll be more than willing to lend you a listening ear. Whatever you tell me would just be between us."

Your eyes snapped up to his broad form in surprise. "I-I, thank you 76. I'll think about it."

"Not too much you hear? Thinking too much is what got you here in the first place." With that, he turned the corner and disappeared from your sight. You could have sworn that he was teasing you with his last comment.

-S-

You stifled a scream of surprise as Lena and Hana abruptly barged into your room without warning.

"Okay I've been waiting for so long for you to finally give up and spill the beans and I have had it!" Hana marched over to you, her hands on her hips, feet tapping impatiently. Lena, apparently the interrogation wingman, closed the door behind them.

Confused you blinked at them. "What?"

"Oh you know what's up! You've been distracted lately, thankfully only around the base or else 76 would have spanked your ass and then some in front of everyone!"

At the mention of 76 and the aforementioned act, your wicked, evil mind took that image and ran wild with it. Oh... oh my ..!

"As your friends we- ohhh somebody is blushing." Hana interrupted herself as she noticed your cheeks began to stain red. Damn your inability to prevent yourself from blushing so easily.

"N-no I'm not." You tried unsuccessfully to pass off your reaction. Also damn your inability to lie with a straight face and a steady voice.

"Y/N likes somebody!" Lena piped up cheerfully.

"I do not Lena!" You denied vehemently, before turning to Hana who certainly had a very sly look on her face. "Hana, don't listen to her, it's not true." You voice broke into a squeak at the end.

"Oh really?" The professional gamer chuckled darkly. The Inquisition has arrived, and she knew how to push your buttons.

"McCree!"

"Charming as he is, no!"

"Lúcio!"

"Hana, he's our friend."

"Pharah?"

"She's badass but no!"

"Zenyatta?"

"That's like dating a brother!"

"Satya?"

"Nooo..."

"Junkrat?"

"Please no!"

"Roadhog!"

"Hana are you even trying now?!" Just then, your eyes drifted to Lena who's face lit up in a eureka moment.

"Oh Hana I know it's Sevent- MMFF" You practically tackled Lena in an attempt to shut her up and clamp a hand over her mouth. But it was too late.

"YOU HAVE A SECRET CRUSH ON SEV-" You clapped your other hand over Hana's mouth as the girl began to shriek your secret a little too loud for your liking.

"It won't be a secret anymore if you scream it for the whole base to hear!" You admonished, before releasing them with a sigh, slumping back in your seat in defeat. "Besides... it's just a silly crush anyways."

"No, no it isn't!" Lena assured you quickly, "we're not going to judge you on who you like! In fact as your friends we're happy for you!"

"And we're gonna help you get him!" Hana jumped in decisively, pounding her fist on her open palm.

"What...no! What if it's just an infatuation and it goes away? No way guys, it's a bad idea." You shook your head. At this, D.Va grabbed your shoulders and shook you slightly.

"[Y/N] I don't know if you're that oblivious or you're in a strong state of denial, but you have been mooning over him for months now, it's obvious at least to us girls that you like him a lot! So much that even as you see different sides of him your feelings never seemed to wane." And it was true, everything your friend said hit the mark.

Over the course of several months after you started feeling attracted to the solider, you've seen many sides of him: the fierce and steady commander, the hardened older man, the kind and caring human beneath the tough exterior, the wrath and anger of a fury wronged and the humility of the man who admitted and repented for his mistakes. He was by no means a perfect man, and you fell for him more each and every day however much you denied it. And it wasn't long till you wondered how the man would be like in love, and how it would be like if the person he loved was you.

"Yeah well, it doesn't matter anyway. He probably wouldn't look at me the same." You said dismissively.

"Well maybe if you..."

"Guys, I'll be fine, it's probably just an infatuation! I promise." You insisted vehemently.

At this, Hana and Lena exchanged looks before seemingly coming to a consensus. "Well if you're sure, luv." Lena said resignedly.

"I really appreciate it girls, but I'm sure." You said firmly. "Now about that new game you were talking about the other day Hana..."

At this, the professional gamer seemed to perk up, launching into an animated description of the latest multiplayer game about to hit the stores. You listened attentively, nodding at the right parts and generally just relieved that they took the change of subject easily.

It was however, of course naive of you to think that your friends would let the subject go so easily...

-S-

"Wha... what are we celebrating again?" You asked slowly, the beginnings of a headache slowly settling in as a result of having too much to drink. You would have stopped earlier but with your friends being awfully persuasive and persistent...

"A huge milestone in my subscriber count and the fact that the stream that you featured in got the most views of all my streams!" Hana crowed happily, pushing another shot your way. "Now drink!"

"I..I don't k-know Hana, I think I might have had too much already." You slurred, barely registering the first part of her answer.

"Just one last shot then, please? Besides Lena already talked to Mercy about giving you a day off tomorrow!" The professional gamer cajoled. The throbbing in your head was telling you no, but your friend was laying it on thick, giving you her practically patented puppy dog eyes. And so against your better judgement, you took the shot.

"Yay! You're the best." Hana squealed way too loudly for your comfort as she engulfed you in a hug.

"I suppose s-so...?" You murmured, feeling woozy and more than a little puzzled. A beep from a cellphone caused Hana to release you.

"Oh! I forgot I had a Q&A session scheduled for today! Sorry [Y/N] I gotta go!" Without giving you a moment to process and react to her statement, the younger woman practically sprinted out of the room. It took you a moment or two longer to also realise that Lena had also disappeared, though you were unsure when exactly did she leave.

Left alone to your devices and more than a little tipsy, you unwisely decided to make the journey back to your room, drunkenly reasoning that your painkillers were kept there, and really, you didn't want anyone to see you like this.

You managed a few stumbling steps towards the door with the help of a nearby couch. But it would seem you would need to make the final stretch towards the door without any form of assistance. Gathering all your remaining strength and willpower, you push yourself forward, only to trip on your own two feet.

With your instincts highly dulled, you closed your eyes and resigned yourself to having a inevitable meeting with the common room floor. However, the surface which your body met was much softer than what you imagined the floor to be.

"Are you alright?" A familiar husky voice reached your ears. No. Oh no, no, no. He was the last person you wanted to see you like this. A small voiced screamed in your head.

The bigger, more dominant voice however, was just simply squeaking in delight.

"I... I'm fineeeee." You giggled into the chest of your saviour. "Not as fine as youuu seeing that you're still standing and beautiful, ohhhh and real firm too!" Despite the awkward position you were in, you managed to poke his chest to emphasize your final point. Ahh... the wonders of alcohol...

The solider sighed, his warm breath tickling your hairline and your forehead as he carefully hoisted you up into a somewhat upright position, though most of your weight was still on him. Then, adjusting his grip, the older man lifted you up into his arms.

"Let's get you back to your room."76 murmured as he turned to leave the common room.

"That's where I was going beforeee..." you whispered sleepily, encouraged by the warm body heat the man was emitting.

"You reek of alcohol agent, how much did you drink?"

"T-that's nottttt what an agent wants to hear," you giggled. "B-besides I-I just wanted to make Hana happy. Maybeeee it waass a weee bit too much." Your brain switched off, any polite filter of yours gone and your mind wandered to a slightly darker place.

"Everybody...body should be happy. I w-want to make everyone happy in these times... happy and safe. Es-especially you, you sometimes look so, so sad..." You rambled drunkenly, your body unconsciously trying to snuggle closer to the older man in search of physicsl comfort.

You almost did not notice the falter in the solider's step before he continued on. "That is an admirable goal."

"Perh-haps...my parents said I was a dreamer... but then they helped me join Overwatch."

"Your parents?" You could hear from his voice that he was trying to recall something.

"Yeah Agent Flight and Aegis,they d-didn’t live past the Omnic crisis."

"I-I've never had the honour of meeting them but I've heard of their achievements in the field. I'm sorry for your loss." Genuine sadness laced the gravelly voice.

"Me too, I would have loved to know them longer." You felt oddly sober for the moment, though you were fast falling asleep. "But I- I think they would be happy to know that their cause was achieved to some point... and that w-we are all fighting for a better future..." You cuddled closer to the soldier, feeling a sudden chill at recalling older memories. You were too drunk and sleepy to feel 76 stiffen against you.

“You smell nice." You mumble into his chest, your mind cloudy and vulnerable to your heart. There was a beat of silence. You weren't sure how long said beat was just then; your conscience too far gone.

"What do I smell like?" The older man whispered, almost as if he was afraid of breaking the spell alcohol held over you.

"Home, you smell like home."

You belatedly realised that 76 has stopped moving.

“Soldier...76?” You mumbled softly. Your words seemed to bring him back to life as he dipped slowly in order to open the door to your room. Marching over briskly this your bed, the solider gently lowered you down onto your bed and efficiently tucked you in.

“Goodnight agent, sleep well.” The soldier murmured, turning to leave the room. You didn’t have the energy to call him back like you wanted to, the spell of sleep luring you to rest. As your eyes fluttered shut and you drifted off slowly to blessed oblivion, you failed to notice a large calloused hand gently brushing the hair from your face, nor the look of restrained longing a certain man might have had behind the mask.

-S-  
You woke up the next day a little groggier than usual and with a miraculously slight hangover. You thank yourself silently for chugging as much water as possible in between all the drinks D.Va was feeding you. Rolling slowly out of bed, you stretched and then froze as memories of last night filtered in your brain. Di-did you act like that in front of your superior? Did you actually say those things to the crush of your life?! You rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water onto your face, feeling utterly mortified. Oh no... how were you going to face him now?

-S-  
Some people would have bitten the bullet and pulled their crush aside for a proper confession. Others would have simply let it go and let nature take its course. Unfortunately for you, try as you might, you were not those people. In fact you actively avoided the older solider now, leaving the room as subtly as possible when he enters, avoiding places where you knew he would be and ultimately, avoiding any conversational topic that mentioned him. You just didn’t know how to deal with the embarrassment and insecurity now that your feelings were out in the open. After all, you’ve always been a person that kept to yourself and only hung out with people that you were familiar with. To this effect, you felt extremely vulnerable.

Your behaviour wasn’t exactly unnoticed, least of all by the man himself, but before anyone could confront you about this, a slew of missions came up and with the lack of manpower to spare, you were assigned on a mission with Soldier 76, the very man you sought to avoid. You couldn’t beg off this, nor would you even consider doing that. You joined Overwatch to make a difference after all, not act like a schoolgirl pining after her crush.

Taking a deep breath, you boarded the plane that would be your cage for the next few hours. 76 was already present, running the various routine checks before takeoff. Thankfully, he only acknowledged your presence with a brief nod before turning his attention back to his pre-flight/mission check. You let out an internal sigh of relief before beginning your own routine checks. You were a field medic and support specialising in healing through the use of light administered by your specialist gloves or pistol, modified to fire rapidly and switch between offensive and supportive munition. This earned you the codename Sunlight and at times the nickname “Sunny.”

The journey was passed in silence that was neither companionable nor uncomfortable since the both of you were lost in your own thoughts. Soldier 76 sprang into action 5 minutes away from your destination, running final checks on the equipment.

“This should be a simple mission, we get the information, we get out, and we go home. Winston doesn’t expect much resistance on this one.” He addresses you for the first time on that mission. You nodded in affirmation, having read and largely memorised the brief and intel prior to this. Upon landing, you both ensured the immediate area was clear before moving out.

-S-

The mission was going relatively well. Right now you were downloading the entire database of a particular organisation that was linked to Talon while Soldier 76 stood guard. The computer signalled the completion of the process and you let out an internal sigh of relief. Snatching the thumb drive and stowing it in a secure pocket on your uniform, you turned to the older man.

“It’s done, let’s go.” He gave a nod of acknowledgement and you both moved out... only to bump into a stray enemy soldier that unexpectedly emerged from a room down the corridor. The man was every bit as surprised as you were but he was quick to act, triggering the alarm system through a hidden device.

“Damn!” 76 cursed viciously as he tried to neutralise the enemy agent who managed to duck away in time and disappear around a corner. “Let’s go,” The older man barked over the noise of the blaring alarm, sparing no other words and taking the lead out of the building. You kept pace with him, hearing distant footsteps but unable to spot anyone else yet.

However, just as you thought that you have miraculously been able to escape the facility without encountering any guards you heard someone yell out, “Found them!”

Both of you immediately whipped into action , with Soldier 76 taking out agents while you supported him with your pistol, blinding and incapacitating enemy agents for your partner to finish off.

You had just taken down another guard when out of the corner of your eye, you saw something that made your heart sink: a sniper setting up position further down the corridor, his scope pointed towards Soldier 76’s head while the man was otherwise heavily occupied with taking down 2 other guards. Without hesitation or further thought, you took off running towards your teammate, your hand reaching for the grenade on your belt. You threw the grenade on the ground just a split second before you rammed into the older man, the impact of the collsion promptly overriden by the sharp pain that bloomed in your abdomen almost immediately.

The entire area flooded with light, though were not sure whether it was from your grenade or the white hot pain you were now experiencing. The grenade you threw served a dual purpose of blinding and stunning enemies in an area while healing friendly allies (identified through a special device that all Overwatch agents carried). The healing properties wasn’t extremely strong but perhaps... perhaps it might help you live through this...if only to see your crush one more time.

You don’t know when you ended up on the concrete ground or how long you stayed there listening to the somewhat dulled sounds of bullets flying and combat. Then, all was silent... and you felt a gentle hand on your cheek.

“[Y/N]? Stay awake Sweetheart I’m going to get you out of here. You’re going to be okay.” The worried husky voice of your favourite soldier reached your ears, followed shortly by the sensation of your body being lifted up gently. You could not help but let a whimper of pain escape as the movement inevitably jostled your wound.

“Shh, I know honey I’m sorry.” Soldier 76 apologised. “I need to get you back to base ASAP so I’ll need to go a little faster. I’ll be as careful as I can, but I need you to stay with me. The bullet went straight through so we won’t have to worry about it hitting anything else at least.” He continues speaking as he starts to move out quickly with you in his arms.

“The... the data?” You managed to get out through the pain. “Safe and sound with me, the guards taken care of for now. What’s important now is that we get you medical help stat.”

“I am the medical help.” You quipped weakly .

“And you got yourself seriously injured.” He replies roughly, as he strided up the ramp of your plane. “Athena. We need to go. Now.”

“Running flight sequences immediately.” The Overwatch A.I. acknowledged.

“It’s my duty no?” You spoke not without difficulty, catching the attention of the soldier who was setting down his biotic field in attempt to further stabilise your condition. It did work to abate the pain slightly. “And even if it weren’t I would do it all over again... your life holds far more importance than mine.”

You swore you saw the red visor glint for a split second before Soldier 76 was in your face, his hand coming up to cup your head. “Don’t you ever say anything like that again. Your life is as every bit important as mine, as everyone else. If I have lost you today...” He trails off as he remembers that you’re not completely out of the woods yet. “If I lose you today... or any day...”

“It would have killed me to lose you too..” You whispered as you rapidly lost your grip on your consciousness, black spots moving in to your swallow your vision.”

“[Y/N]? [Y/N] sweetheart stay with me.” The panicked voice of the older man got further and further away before the darkness swallowed you whole.

  
-S-

The first thing your senses registered was the consistent and persistent beeps. It would seem that the abyss has spat you out unceremoniously as sensations began to return to you, most prominently that of soreness and dulled pain. You were alive.

Forcing your heavy lids open, the familiar sight of the medical room greeted your tired eyes. What caught your eye immediately however was the distinctive red, blue and white jacket at the side of your bed... and the slumped over form of your snoozing superior... his right hand loosely holding on to yours. Your heart skipped a bit which threw the heart monitor off a little, but fortunately not to the point that it triggered any alarms.

What was he doing here? A-and did he consciously decide to hold your hand? Your heart skipped another beat as the man started to stir, groaning softly, no doubt stiff from his uncomfortable sleeping position. Sitting upright while rubbing his face with his hands, you were surprised to notice that he was not wearing his visor (which would have no doubt have been really uncomfortable since he had slept face down), his piercing blue eyes met yours. Your breath caught in your throat, for he was not only devastatingly gorgeous... but he was also the very same Jack Morrison that your parents were so proud to serve. But the moment was over as soon as it began as those icy blue eyes narrowed at you.

“What were you thinking?!” Jack barked, the worry, fear and anger clear in his eyes. “You could have been killed pulling a stupid move like that and compromise everything!” You opened your mouth to reply but was cut off by a harsh glare from the older man.

“I could have lost you.” The gruff voice of the usually composed soldier cracked and he seemed to deflate a little. “I could have lost you before I even have the chance to be by your side.”

Your eyes widened at the almost whispered statement. You tried to catch his gaze but he was looking anywhere but you. Sighing agitatedly and running a hand through his hair, he got up.

“I’ve said too much, I’m sorry I yelled at you... just ignore this old man and get some rest.” No, you were not gonna let him leave, not after he made an almost-confession, the meaning of the words that you were one day hoping to hear. As he turned to leave, your hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Your grip in the weakened state you were in was by no means strong but it did make the soldier pause.

“And I would like to stay by yours... I-if you’ll have me. So please don’t leave me now...” there was a beat of silence that made you fear that you had taken everything the wrong way. Slowly he turned his head to look at you.

“You would have this old man rather than all the other people nearer your age?” Jack questioned, his self-doubt stopping him from believing what he was hearing. He had not been able to put that drunken encounter out of his mind... but he had stopped himself from actively hoping.

“There’s no one else I would rather have by my side Jack. I...I love you.. I’ve loved you for a while now.” Barely a moment had passed before you felt his lips on yours, engaging you in a slow, sweet kiss filled with previously suppressed longing. He broke the kiss, gently resting his forehead against yours.

“And here I was thinking I was an old fool waiting on something that will never happen.”

“Perhaps you were a dummy in not seeing all the hints that I’ve dropped intentionally and unintentionally before.” You wrinkled your nose playfully at 76.

“I didn’t want to hope too much. You have all the choices in the world, I doubted among all the eligible and attractive candidates that you’ll pick me.” Jack admitted, giving you a breathtaking smile. You giggled and softly rubbed your noses together in a shy Eskimo kiss.

“I would have picked you every time, Jack.” You returned the smile, sighing contentedly as he moved to press a loving kiss to your forehead. You opened your mouth to say something, only to have a yawn escape. The solider chuckled, brushing some loose hair away from your face.

“Get some more rest sweetheart. Angela does not approve flirting as a form of treatment for her patients.” The older man joked, settling back into the bedside chair but keeping ahold of your hand, the gentle patterns he drew on skin luring you back into the dreamworld. “Sleep well little one, I’m not going anywhere... I’ll be by your side for as long as you want me to be.”


End file.
